England to mark Kersey's death

Cricket

The England team will wear black armbands in the third one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare today as a mark of respect to the Surrey wicketkeeper Graham Kersey.

The 25-year-old cricketer lost his fight for life on New Year's Day after suffering severe head injuries in a car crash in Brisbane on Christmas Eve.

The Surrey captain, Alec Stewart, on tour with England, said: "We have lost not only a great cricketer, but also a tremendous team man. He was, without doubt, the most popular man on the staff; a true players' player."

Kersey, born in Plumstead, south London, was spending the winter in Australia, playing for the Western Suburbs District Cricket Club in Brisbane. The former Kent player, who moved to The Oval in 1993, was voted Surrey's Player of the Year in 1995 and was capped last September.

The Surrey chief executive, Paul Sheldon, told Radio 5 Live: "As you'd expect we are all completely numb and devastated by the whole thing.

"It was such a shock on Christmas Eve to get the news and unfortunately he did not make his fight for life over Christmas and we heard the terrible news yesterday."

Kersey, a talented, athletic and tidy keeper, and a dogged batsman, played in 53 first-class matches, claiming 169 catches and making a dozen stumpings, while scoring more than 1,500 runs at a respectable average of 23.20. In one-day appearances, Kersey had 33 victims and a half-century to his credit.